Apparatus and method of image processing to avoid image saturation
US7598480B2 · kind B2 · utility
1Cited by
14References
8Claims
0Family size
Assignee
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Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 30, 2006 |
| Grant date | Oct 6, 2009 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 30, 2026 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N25/78
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An imaging device includes a plurality of photo-diodes that operate as optical pixels arranged in a plurality of columns on a single CMOS substrate. The outputs of the multiple pixel sensors, or photo-diodes, are examined to determine if a one pixel, or a region of pixels are in saturation. If so, then the pixel gain is adjusted to correct or compensate for the image distortion in the region. For example, the gain of the charging amplifier or operational amplifier can be adjusted to correct for saturation. This can be done in real-time since hardware is being tuned for the correction instead of software.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.